"It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa, that all the children in the world may experience the wonder of books...." So begins Nobel Peace Prize-winner and former South African President Nelson Mandela in his foreword to the book FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES. W. W. Norton & Company is proud to be the American publisher of this extraordinary book, an unprecedented treasury of Africa's rich and dazzling folklore, selected and gathered by Nelson Mandela. President Mandela has compiled these tales with the specific hope that Africa's classic stories will be perpetuated and appreciated by children throughout the world. In this handsome gift book, the stories are accompanied by lavish full-color illustrations by African artists.

Many readers in our part of the world are familiar with Greek and Roman myth, European fairytales and American legend. Everyone has heard of Pygmalion's bride, carved from ivory, naughty Goldilocks the trespasser, and Babe the ox with his cerulean coat. But what of African legend? What about Kamiyo, the bride carved from a tree, Mmadipetsane, the little girl who disobeys her mother, trickster Spider, who always gets his figs, or Kaggen, the mantis who yearns for the moon? Long before the earliest Western literature was set down, many of Africa's folktales were already vibrantly alive, handed down from generation to generation through the oral tradition.

In FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES, readers will find thirty-two tales, most of them ancient and some of them new, from countries ranging from Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, and Nigeria to South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The stories here were told around evening campfires for centuries, even millennia, in a multitude of African tongues. Finally, they were translated from their original languages—Karanga, Nguni, Xhosa, San, Khoi, and many others—and committed for the first time to paper, mostly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Never before have they been gathered together for people around the globe.

Nelson Mandela, one of the world's most admired heroes, was born in South Africa in 1918. He grew up listening to his elders tell tales about the history and folklore of Africa, many including stories of resistance and valor against colonialism. Mandela would grow up to be a vocal opponent to South Africa's system of apartheid, the world's most famous political prisoner, and eventually South Africa's first black president. Though, as Mandela notes, the tales in this collection are "beloved stories, morsels rich with the gritty essence of Africa," they are "universal in their portrayal of humanity, beasts and the mystical."

Here are myths of creation, birth, and death, longing and hopes fulfilled, and cautionary fables to warn against greed and disobedience. Each story is introduced with information about its region or culture of origin, when and by whom it was translated, and a brief explanation of its message or connection to other stories. The Enchanting Song of the Magical Bird, for example, was first recorded in Tanzania and exemplifies the power of children; The Message explains how death came into the world;

Wolf and Jackal and the Barrel of Butter exemplifies the influence of Flemish wolf-and-jackal stories in South Africa.

As Nelson Mandela points out, "Because a story is a story; and you may tell it as your imagination and your being and your environment dictate; and if your story grows wings and becomes the property of others, you may not hold it back." FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLK TALES have remained alive for centuries, evolving with each new telling. Now, with this treasury, a world of new readers can enjoy these stories, make them their own, and pass them along—perhaps enriched by new details and a new voice—as gifts to future generations.

About the Author:
ROLIHLAHLA NELSON MANDELA is one of the world's most beloved heroes. Born in South Africa in 1918, he is from the royal family of the Thembu, who are part of the larger Xhosa people. Growing up in a rural village called Qunu, young Mandela listened to his elders' stories of African history and folklore. Later, as a vocal critic of minority rule in his native country, Mandela led his nation's fight against apartheid, spending 27 years in jail for his determination to create a free society. Following his release from Robben Island prison in 1990, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 before serving a five-year term as the first black president of South Africa. He lives in Johannesburg.

Favorite African Folktales
Edited by Nelson Mandela
Price: $13.95
ISBN: 0-393-32624-1
*A portion of the royalties will go to benefit The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.